Ore-concentrator.



PATENTED AUG. 28, 1906.

W. R. THURSTON.

ORE GONCENTRATOR.

APPLIOATIO-N FILED 0GT.9. 1905.

lulll'" @d M NITED 'STATESA PATENT oEEroE WALTER R. THURSTONFOUGLAS, ARIZONA TERRITORY.

I oRE-CoNoENTRAToR- l no. 829,493.V

Specification of Letters Patent. Applica-tion filed october 9,1905. Selm No. 281,967

Patented Aug. 28, 1906.

-and useful Improvements in Ore-Concentrators, of which 'the following is a full," clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof. My invention has relation to improvements in gravity-concentrators (for the treat'- ment of ore 'or any other` material and it consistsin the novel construction'and arrangement of parts` more fully set forth in the specification and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 isa middle vertical section of my concentrator, parts bein shown in-elevation.- Fig, 2 is a horizonta section on the broken line 2 2 of Fig. 1, parts bein broken away to expose portions beneat them. Fig. 3 is a sectional detail on the horizontal line 3 3 of Fig. 1, showing the controlling-valve of the discharge-spout for the concentrates, coarse or fine. Fi 4 is an enlarged detail showing ball-and-soc et connection between the eccentric-rod of the drive-shaft and the hubV of the spider supporting the pan, and Fig. 5 is a perspective of a small section of the annular Water trough or b ox carried by thepan.

l. The present apparatus is an im rovement on the ore-concentrator vforming t ie subjectmatter of my pending application, Serial No. 270,856, filed July 22, 41905, and contemplates certain qualifications of construction f which will not only enlarge the possibilities of the concentrator and secure an increased efficiency therefor, but will impart thereto specific advantages which result directly `from the qualifications of construction referred to. Among these may be mentioned the provision of suitable mechanism which imparts a vertically-reciprocating movement to the oscillating pan, the presence of a bafiie or defiecting plate to deflect the fiow of the' p material passing into the overlioW-hopper, a

Wash-water pipe supplying water to assist in `the Washing of the lighter tailings and gangue,

a Water-box to supply water for bringing the pulp to proper consistency, the corrugation of the pan-walls to secure a longer travel for the particles of mineral, a dividing-ring to grade the concentrates, suitable shields over the concentrate discharge-spouts, and other details Whose specific advantages will be betf the peripheral Wa material to be concentrated and ter apparent from the detailed description of the invention which is to follow. These qualifications in no wise affect the general objects ofthe invention as expressed inthe pending applicatiom'the purposes of the'present improvement being the same, all as Will more fully hereinafter appear.

In detail the invention may be described as follows: Referrin to the drawings, F represents af suitableA frangeV constructed, preferably, of angle-iron, which supports the operating arts of the apparatus. Resting onv a frame is a stationary vertical shaft or staff S having an upper terminal reduced square portion 2, passed through a top member 'of the frame, the bottom ofthe shaft being secured additionally by a set-screw 3, so that the shaft is absolutely rigid and stationar Passed over the square terminal 2 and resting on the shoulder formed between it and the body ofthe shaft S is a s ider 4, to which is secured a'feed-hopper 5, t e lower portion ls of the hopper being provided with openings 6, which discharge the ulp from the hopper onto a conical disk or istributer 7, secured to the hopper, the

bed-p ate l at thecenter of the base ofthe i pulp running over the outer edges of the dis' tributer and discharging at points contiguous to the outer edges of the oscillating pan 8.

The concave walls of the pan are preferably corrugated, the corrugations being disposed in concentric circles about the aXis of oscillationof the pan, the object of the corrugations being to 'secure a greater surface over which theI particles of mineral may travel, thereby securing a better separation of the allowing more time for the motion of the pan to take effect on the pulp. The pan may be made of cast or pressed steel or iron, wood, fiber,

glass, rubber, or composition, or other suitable material adapted for the purpose, but preferably of steel, with a lining of enamel or rubber to insure adhesion of the finer particles of mineral thereto. The pan envelops the shaft S and is rotatably supported about the same through the medium of a supporting-spider 9, the hub 9 of Which loosely embraces the shaft S.

Aroo

Adjustable along the shaft and encompassed by the pan is an overfiow-hopper 10,v

which has formedl therewith a central sleeve l1, enveloping and protecting the shaft, the adjustment of the hopper being effected by moving the adjustable collar 12 along the ITO shaft to proper position, then vsecuring the fcollar by means lof the set-screw 13, the hopper resting on the collar thus adjusted.' Thebase of the hopper is provided-with a block 14, which rests ,directly on the-collar12 referred to.

Since the -overflow hopper .adjustable relatively to the pan, .suitable provision must be made for a water-tight joint be'- 'tween the parts, and this is accomplished by meansv of the stuffing-box `1-5, l as shown. Leading from the bottom of the overflow- 4hopper is'a-discharge-spout 16, which'conveys the waste overflow ortailings 'into a launder 17.

Mounted in suit'able bearings 18 18 at the bottom of the frame F is a drive-shaft 1'9, provided with tight and loose pulleys 'P P', respectively, driven by a belt B, leading to any source of power. (Not shown.) At one end of the drive-shaft is an eccentric-,disk 20,

about which is loosely passed the strap 21 of pan not only to freely oscillate about the axis of., the shaft S as a center,`but to reciprocate vertically during its oscillating movements.

The vertical reciprocation of the pan is ac-l complished by the following mechanism: Disposed along the drive-shaft 19 is an eccentric 27, which in its rotation' plays along the upper surface of the long arm of a vertically-oscillating lever.28, supported in the fulcrum-bearings 29 29 on the bed-plate, the

short arm of the lever being in the. form of a fork 30 30,'encompassing a lifting-block 31 loosely mounted over the shaft S, the block being provided with. diametrically-opposite radially-projecting pins 32, loosely em,- braced by the brasses 33, mounted in the bifurcated ends of each of the fork members 30. As the drive-shaft 19 therefore rotates the eccentric 27` will with each revolution of the shaft depress the long arm of the level` 22, raising the opposite \ar1nand thus lift the block 31 alongthe shaft, the block gravitating back-.to its original posi-tion against the bearing 1" of the base-plate the moment the eccentric formation of the cam haspassed off the lever. Since, however, the block 31 directly supports the spider 9 and pan 8, it foly lows that the pan will have a vertically-reciprocating movement'imparted thereto simultaneously with its horizontal oscillations about the shaft S. y

Disposed beneath the distributer and contiguous to the outer edge thereof and above-a marginal annular inwardly-inclined ledge 34 is a circular perforated wash-water pipe 35, coupled to a water-supply pipe p, the purpose ofthe wash-water being to assist in consistency may at all times be secured therewashing over the lighter tailings or gangue matter into the overflow-hopper 10. The. water'from the pipe 35' escapes through a series 'of perforations, distributing Aitself evenlyalong the .ledge 34 and discharging into the pan.. To effectively deliect the flow of the material passing into the overflowhopper, the present apparatus is provided with an adjustable deflector or baffle 36, be-

-into the pan.

In-order thatthe pulp may be regulated in the matter of consistency and'that proper for, provision is herein made in the form of'an annular trough or water-box 39 at the outer edge of the pan, the bottom of the box being perforated, 'Figs 2 5, to allow the'water to mix withthe pulp. The water may be'su'pplied to the trough from any source, (not shown,) and the trough may either wholl y, as shown, or only partially encircle the pan.

In. order that-I may separate the lighter from the heavier concentrates which settle at the bottom ofthe pan, I intercept the latter by means of a dividing wall `or ring 40, leading such heavier particles out by means of a concentrate-valve, to be presently referred to. The liner concentrate particles will pass over this ring and be. caught outside ofthe overflow-hopper, whence they can be Withdrawn through the concentrate-spout 41', .leading from the panbetween the overflow-hopper and the dividing-ring. Over the concentratedischarge opening (or openings, if there be more than one) I-secure a shield 42 the presence of which prevents the formationof depressions directly over the discharge-opening as the concentrates are being drawn QH. It is obviousy that the presence of such depressions results inthe production of disturbing.

currents, which are objectionable in the course of the concentrating operation. The presence of the shields 42 insures a uniformity in 4distribution of the material, as it settles along the bottom of the pan. shields 42are preferably secured to the wall of the overflow-hopper 10, as shown.

'As in my pending application abovereferred to the concentrate-discharge spout 41 4is controlled by a valve 43 pivoted to' a bracket 44, carried by the spout, the inner or valve end of thevalve being held in a closed position by the retracting action ofa coiled spring 45, whose one end is secured to the. outer arm`of the valve and whose opposite end is secured to the bracket 44. As the pan joscillates with each alternate stroke the ter- IOO rio

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end of an adjustable tappet-screw 47, carried by an arm 48 on the frame F. In thus strikingthe tappet 47 the latter oscillates the. .valve .43 sufliciently to open the discharge located just outside of the-dividing-ring 40,

is or may be controlled by the same construction of valve, the parts thereof being identified Vby the same reference-numerals in the trough 51.

drawings. The spout 50 dischargesinto a The operation Vof the-device is identical withth'at described in my pending application referred to, except'that in addition to lthe least amount of agitation.

the oscillatingmotion the pan has a verticallyj reciprocating movement. ,The wet pulp delivered to the hopper 5 iiows down through the openings 6 onto the distributer or disk 7, where it flows into the pan at points contigu- Y ous -to the outer edge thereof or points of greatest agitation, mingled if desirable with the waters from the wash-water pipe 35 and ithe trough 39.

points nearest the shaft being ofcourse sub'- jected to a minimum oscillatory speed or agitation, as it is desirable that vat such points the lighter waste or tailings besubjected to These tailings, as above stated, are deflected and constrained to pass under water before passing Y into the overflow-hopper by the baffle 36. The pulp as it enters the pan (see three tailed arrows in Fig. 1) becomes agitated, the tailings or waste overiiowing'into the overflowhopper 10 and out through the spout 16 into the launder 17. (S- eefeathered arrows.)l

The concentrates gradethemselves accord-. ing to specific gravity, the coarser particles remaining outside ,the dividing-ring 40, whence they are` withdrawnl through the spout 50, and thelighter and finer concentrates passing over the dividing wall or ring and settling between it and the overflowhcpper, whence they are withdrawn through the spout 41. (See plain arrows.)

As in my pending application referred to so in the present case the material enters the pan at points offgreatest oscillatoigf'sfee and agitation, thereby initially an e ec ively separating the concentrates from the tailings, the material bemg gradually subj ected to less and less agitation, allowing the As the drive-shaft 19 rotates it imparts an oscillating motion to the pan waste to be withdrawn near the axis of oscillation of the pan, where a minimum amount of oscillation takes place. Likewise arel the concentrates removed from the pan at points where the oscillatory agitation' is comparatively reduced and where any material not drawn through the overflow-hopper has time to settle. The oscillatory motion at the outer edge of the pan,produced-through the eccentric-rod connection between the hub 10 and drive-shaft 19, amounts to only about two or three inches,l the vertical movement a concave bottom, means for imparting thereto an oscillating movement in a given plane about a fixed axis, a block disposed about the axis of oscillation of the 'pan and having a rey ciprocating motion of translation along said axis, an oscillating lever in cooperative connection with said block for imparting thereto the motion aforesaid, and connections between the block and pan whereby a corresponding reciprocation is imparted to the pan along its axis of oscillation, substantially as set forth.

2. Ina concentrator, a suitable pan 'having a concave bottom, means for imparting' thereto an oscillating movement in a givenplane about a central axis, a member' disposed about the axis of oscillation of the pan and having an oscillating'motion in a plane parallel to such axis, and a block disposed about said central axis and interposed between said member and pan for imparting to the latter a reciprocating motion of translation along its axis of oscillation, substantially as set forth.

v3. In aconcentrator, a suitable pan having a concave bottom, means for imparting thereto an oscillating movement in a horizontal plane about a central vertical axis, a lever having one end disposed about said axis and vIOO IIO

a block interposed between said pan and lever and having imparted thereto by said le:

ver a reciprocating motion of translation along the axis of oscillation of the pan, whereby a corresponding reciprocation is commul' lnicated to the pan, substantially as set forth. 4. In a concentrator, a suitable concavebottomed pan oscillating about a' fixed axis and having an axial vertically-rectilinear reciprocating movement, a distributer delivering the material thereto at points contiguous to the outer edge of the pan, a perforated Wash-water vpipe disposed adjacent to the 'outer edge of the distributer, and a guidingledge for the water discharged from said pipe,

substantially as set forth. L

' 5. In a concentrator, a suitable concavebottomed pan oscillating horizontally about a central Vertical axis, a supporting-block movable rectilinearly along said axis and imparting to the pan at the axis, a reciprocating motion of translation in a plane at right angles to its plane of oscillation and an oscillating lever` for actuating the block, substantially as set forth.

6. In a concentrator, a suitable pan oscillating about a fixed axis, a distributor delivering the material' thereto at points contiguous to the outer edge of the pan, an inwardly and downwardly inclined nledge disposed about the edge of the distributor, and a perforated wash-water pipe confined between the ledge and distributer and discharging its water over the ledge into the pan, substantially as set forth.-

In testimony whereof I ax my signature in presence of two witnesses,

WALTER 'R. THURSTON. Witnesses:

BAXTER LEWIS, C. Da STEWART. 

